Time is Money; My Top Five Watches for Under $1,000.00.

If women dress for other women, then men wear watches for other men. In fact, you can be in shorts and a T-Shirt, and if your watch game is on point then no one is going to bat an eye!

I know my top five under $1000.00 is going to draw the ire of multitudes of watch aficionados out there but bear with me and let me explain. I wanted to keep a fairly short list. The list is very subjective as to my tastes. I also wanted to choose pieces that could be worn for a variety of different occasions and would be well worn in a casual setting as well as a formal one. Finally, I did not eliminate any watches based on accuracy alone as I found there to be huge discrepancies amongst timekeeping reviews with explanations varying from temperature to position of the watch when not worn.

I chose mostly Chrono's as the intricacies, multiple dials, and moving parts are eye-catching and in my opinion more likely to garner a second look or an inquiring question. I added a moonphase primarily because they are very noticeable and make a statement and finally a partial skeleton as I have always found them to be conversation starters. I chose a mixture of automatic and quartz movements and all of the watches except for one on my list is Swiss made.

Some of the watches on this list retail for over $1,000.00 but I found all of them within our price range on one site or another. Four of the Five watches that I chose had excellent reviews 4-4.5 stars on Amazon, the only one I couldn't find reviews on was the Ernest Borel Rocky II series, but I included it on the list because I loved how it looked and thought the color combination was striking.

So without further ado, here are my Five favorites for under $1,000.00:

The Mougin & Piquard for J. Crew is a sleek and sophisticated watch that reminded me of a vintage aviator watch. The face is simple yet classy and the watch as a whole, band included looks like it will wear well and even improve in character over the years. This watch could easily be dressed up or down although it may have a little less utility as a dress watch compared to some of my other choices.

The Frederique Constant Classic Moonphase is a showstopper in my books. The beautifully refined dial, moonphase and crocodile band all combine to create a visually appealing timepiece that could be mistaken for a far more expensive watch. The retail on this watch was considerably higher than our limit, but again it was simple to find it on sale. This automatic timepiece will work well for formal occasions and black tie events and could also be used to refine a casual blazer and jeans look.

The Ernest Borel Rocky II is a statement on your wrist. The reason I know this particular piece is going to get peoples attention is because the first time I saw it on someone's wrist, I had to ask about it. The color combination is striking and the unique day marker coupled with the band creates a visual effect that can't be denied. If you're going to wear this watch, then you probably have a unique dress sense so Im going to reframe from giving any advice as to when and where to wear it. Oh did I mention the gentlemen who had it on was also rocking a kilt....enough said.

I think the Hamilton Jazzmaster Open Heart is just a stunning timepiece. The partial skeleton is going to demand attention and the rest of the details will keep peoples eyes firmly fixed on your wrist. This durable adornment can be worn for a broad range of activities and will look refined and appropriate with a suit or expensive yet understated with a button up and jeans.

The fifth and final watch on my list is the Bullova Precisionist. This watch is a beast, it's bold, brash and beautiful! The features are striking from the multi-dial chrono design to the gold accents and the four hexagonal bolt accents. This watch appears far more expensive than what it is and will have people asking for you to take it off so they can make a closer examination (this I know from experience). The precisionist movement is supposedly one of the most accurate available although I don't wear watches to tell the time so I can't comment on that. https://electronics.howstuffworks.com/gadgets/clocks-watches/bulova-precisionist.htm

Your watch is going to speak volumes about you. It doesn't have to break your bank, but it should make a statement about who you are. A less than fantastic outfit can be salvaged by a well-curated watch, and similarly, the positive impact of the greatest suit can be negated by a poorly chosen timepiece. #TIMEISMONEY